Pancocojams showcases the music, dances, language practices, and customs of African Americans and of other people of Black descent throughout the world.

Translate

Friday, February 6, 2015

"Gettin Jiggy Wit It", "Keeping It Jiggy", And Two Other Videos Of Songs The Include The Word "Jiggy"

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part series on the word "jiggy" and the phrases "gettin jiggy wit (with) it", "keepin it jiggy", and "its a jiggy time."

Part II features Will Smith's Hip Hop video "Gettin Jiggy Wit It" as well as two videos and one sound file of Dancehall records that include the word "jiggy" in their lyrics. Those records are Voicemail's "Weh Di Time", Sean Paul's "Get Busy", and Elephant Man's "Keeping It Jiggy".

Part I provides information and comments about the meanings and sources of the word "jiggy" and those phrases mentioned above. This post also includes my interpretation of certain slang words that are found in lyrics to selected songs hat include those words and phrases. My interpretation of selected blogger comments are also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks to the producers of these videos and the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Also, thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
ONE DEFINITION OF "JIGGY" "Jiggy" is an adjective that was coined by African Americans probably in the late 20th century. As is the case with other slang words, "jiggy" has multiple meanings. Here's one definition of that term:
From Don Malvo, http://forum.dancehallreggae.com/archive/index.php/t-59720.html, 08-20-2005
"Jiggy - originally black American urban slang, made popular in mainstream American culture by actor/rapper Will Smith and co-opted by Elephant Man, has since become passe in the African-American community in which it originated; used varyingly to refer to 'having a good time'....
or a blanket descriptive term for the colourful, dance-oriented style of dancehall reggae currently in vogue, epitomized by artists Elephant Man and Voise Mail (and a few tracks by Beenie [m]an."
-snip-
Warning: Some of the comments in that discussion contain Jamaican English profanity and American English profanity.

"[jiggy] has since become passe the African-American community in which it originated" means that the word "jiggy" and phrases that include that word are no longer used by African Americans. From my recollection and my reading, it seems that "jiggy"'s short life as a popular slang word ended about 2004 or 2005. It also appears that that word and its phrases ceased being popular in Jamaica's Dancehall music around that same time.

Other definitions for "jiggy" and for some phrases that contain that word are found in Part I of this series.

****
FEATURED EXAMPLES
These examples are presented in chronological order based on the years that the songs were recorded.

Notice that the use of the word "jiggy" by Jamaican Dancehall artists demonstrates those songs include both Jamaican slang and African American slang.

Example #1: Will Smith - Gettin' Jiggy Wit It

WillSmithVEVO, Uploaded on Mar 23, 2011

Music video by Will Smith performing Gettin' Jiggy Wit It. (C) 1997 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
-snip-Elephant Man
This record was released in 1997.

****
Example #2: Bogle ft Delly Ranks & Voicemail - Weh Di Time

L Roach, uploaded on May 28, 2006
-snip-
This record was released in 2003.

This song is often given as "Weddy Time", but (as per comments in that discussion thread), "Weh Di Time" is the older form of those words.

There was some disagreement about the meaning of "Weh Di Time" ("Weddy Time") on http://forum.dancehallreggae.com/archive/index.php/t-59720.html, a Jamaican discussion thread about slang terms found in Dancehall music. Most of the bloggers participating in that online discussion believed that "weddy time" meant "ready ready". However, two bloggers firmly believed that it meant "what the [f word] is going on", similarly to that sentence in American English. By the end of that post, the bloggers agreed that the Dancehall artists recording this song had changed the meaning to "ready ready" and that meaning is the one which most people knew as of that discussion.

****
Example #3: Sean Paul - Get Busy

Maja Martin, Uploaded on Aug 2, 2008

Sean Paul performing Get Busy - Official Music Video
-snip-
This record, also colloquially known as "Shake That Thing Miss Annabella", was released in 2003..

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog

Blog Archive

About Me

I'm an African American mother, grandmother, & retired human services administrator. For more than forty years I have shared adapted West African stories with audiences in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.
I have four blogspots: pancocojams, zumalayah, cocojams2, and .Civil Rights Songs. Much of the content of these blogs were previously found on my cocojams and jambalayah cultural websites. I curate all of these blogs on a voluntary basis.
Each of these blogs have the primary goal of raising awareness about cultural aspects of African American culture and of other Black cultures throughout the world, particularly in regards to music & dance traditions.
Viewer comments are welcome on my blogspots.